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Matthew LynchPolicy & Reform
Home›Matthew Lynch›Avoiding School Reform Roadblocks

Avoiding School Reform Roadblocks

By Matthew Lynch
August 6, 2016
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When initiating reform, an action plan must be developed before the school can determine how the reform will be carried out and how it will be measured. Too often, administrators become anxious and feel the need to change the reform before any data has been collected. More patience is warranted because if a plan is not working, it can be amended. The school team, which consists of educators, administrators, and other stakeholders, must make the necessary amendments without hindering reform efforts. Creating too many changes within one reform plan would be counterproductive and frustrating for all parties involved.

Many new administrators enter the field hell-bent on making a name for themselves and refusing to live in the shadows of their predecessor. Often, they feel as though their only choice is to go in a totally different direction, making the previous reform null and void. This situation creates frustration among the surviving faculty and staff. New administrators often make changes before they fully think about the consequences or repercussions of their actions. Perfectly competent adults massage their egos instead of thinking about what is in the best interests of the school and the children.

It is counterproductive to start one reform and then decide to start another several months later. Once a reform has been implemented, all parties involved must show fidelity to it until there is concrete data or evidence that indicates that it is ineffective. Reform is about creating an environment in which students are the priority and we as their teachers assist them in starting and finishing their journey to becoming educated citizens.

It is hard for many administrators and educators to grasp the fact that frustrations may worsen as the reform is being implemented. Often, issues arise because people do not welcome change. Some educators need to see that change is for the better before they completely support the reform. Once the rebellion to change has subsided and the reform has been implemented correctly, the waiting game begins. During this time, educators and administrators must go about the business of collecting data for analysis. The findings will give them a clear indication of whether or not the reform has served its intended purpose. If students are not progressing under the implemented reform, then it may not be fulfilling the needs of the students or faculty.

Strategic planning and the implementation of school reform sometimes require schools to absorb temporary setbacks in order to reap the benefits of long-term gains. Student progress might dip for a month or two before teachers and administrators see a significant gain in student learning and performance. Teachers and administrators need to allow change to take place and not panic when instant changes are not apparent. In many school reform efforts, educators and administrators must understand that policies and practices that met the needs of the past, do not necessarily address current needs or the needs of the future. They must realize that in order to obtain a great future you must let go of a great past.

Some administrators fall into the trap of emulating model schools. Model schools can be found in every major city, but when trying to recreate their success, many schools fail to achieve the same results. Trying to recreate another school’s success is potentially dangerous, even when schools share similar characteristics. This is because, regardless of the similarities, every district is unique. Often, after a large amount of time, energy, and money has been spent, the school declares the plan a failure and has nothing to show for the efforts.

Strategic planning, which is widely used in the educational arena, can assist districts in setting goals and implementing school reform. You would be hard pressed to find a school district that does not have one or more strategic plans awaiting execution. Strategic plans are a district’s consistent road map, even in the face of adversity. In the end, a strategic plan that reflects the culture and needs of each individual school is a better route than attempts to replicate the success another school.

TagsEdpolicyedreformPolicy & Reformput kids firstschool reform
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5 comments

  1. Matthew Lynch 9 March, 2014 at 22:58 Reply

    What a cool site!

  2. LiberalEd 26 September, 2014 at 12:58 Reply

    School reform is very, very difficult and if you have not ever attempted it — it can be really frustrating. The bureaucracy is somewhat necessary though or educational models could just change on a whim. Still — it seems like education reform should be easier.

  3. ferris27 27 September, 2014 at 12:17 Reply

    Reform should be done on a hyper localized level. It needs to makes sense where it is happening. Who cares what worked somewhere else?

  4. edmom5 27 September, 2014 at 12:37 Reply

    School reform is so often discussed but not often implemented well. I know that when changes happen in our area, they really aren’t in the best interest of anyone.

  5. bfaull19 20 October, 2015 at 07:56 Reply

    Nice article. Especially the point about strategic plans reflecting the culture of the individual school. When a school is working well, you sense it within seconds of walking in the door. This comes not from teaching to the test, but creating a culture in which the school community works collaboratively to evaluate its own success using measures that everyone agrees make sense.

    The needed rethinking of accountability reminds me of Onora O’Neill statement, “Instead of working towards intelligent accountability based on good governance, independent inspection and careful reporting, we are galloping towards central planning by performance indicators, reinforced by obsessions with blame and compensation.” You might be interested in the case studies cited here:
    http://www.AwakenDemocracy.com/public-schools-how-to-fix-them/

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